The gift of a song.

Exodus 15:2
The Lord gives me strength and makes me sing; he has saved me. He is my God, and I will praise him.

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Daughters of Davis DVD

It all starts with a gift. God has been giving since the beginning when he gave Adam the breath of life. Then God gave him purpose, a job, a place and woman as a companion. God had given fruit to eat, a garden to care for, animals to name, a command to obey, sons to raise, and a warning with hope for the future.

Here after a long, difficult process of trusting God and seeing his miraculous deliverance, Moses and God's rescued people rejoice because God gave them strength. And God gives them a song too.

I love how a relationship with God includes the gift of a song. Moses' song shared with the people and led by his sister says that God makes them sing.

I'm confident this isn't a one off. The Psalms are replete with people moved to song as a proper response to being rescued. Mary the mother of Jesus celebrates her saviour the baby she carried with a song. And Elisabeth the mother of John the Baptist also rejoices in God's salvation with a song.

Songs are an appropriate response to God's nearness. When God comes into our lives and hears our cries for help, often he gives us a song to accompany our Exodus from captivity.

Has the Lord of heaven and earth saved you? Has the creator of the universe given you strength? Do you sense his presence? Have you been set free from slavery? Are you wealthy beyond all imagination with a confidence that heaven is your real home and God's is your Father?

Then Sing!  Praise him.

Write your own song. Tell how God has saved you.

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Exodus 15:1-19 NCV

Then Moses and the Israelites sang this song to the Lord: “I will sing to the Lord, because he is worthy of great honor. He has thrown the horse and its rider into the sea. The Lord gives me strength and makes me sing; he has saved me. He is my God, and I will praise him. He is the God of my ancestors, and I will honor him. The Lord is a warrior; the Lord is his name. The chariots and soldiers of the king of Egypt he has thrown into the sea. The king’s best officers are drowned in the Red Sea. The deep waters covered them, and they sank to the bottom like a rock. Your right hand, Lord, is amazingly strong. Lord, your right hand broke the enemy to pieces. In your great victory you destroyed those who were against you. Your anger destroyed them, like fire burning straw. Just a blast of your breath, and the waters piled up. The moving water stood like a wall; the deep waters became solid in the middle of the sea. “The enemy bragged, ‘I’ll chase them and catch them. I’ll take all their riches; I’ll take all I want. I’ll pull out my sword, and my hand will destroy them.’ But you blew on them with your breath and covered them with the sea. They sank like lead in the raging water. “Are there any gods like you, Lord ? There are no gods like you. You are wonderfully holy, amazingly powerful, a worker of miracles. You reached out with your right hand, and the earth swallowed our enemies. You keep your loving promise and lead the people you have saved. With your strength you will guide them to your holy place. “The other nations will hear this and tremble with fear; terror will take hold of the Philistines. The leaders of the tribes of Edom will be very frightened; the powerful men of Moab will shake with fear; the people of Canaan will lose all their courage. Terror and horror will fall on them. When they see your strength, they will be as still as a rock. They will be still until your people pass by, Lord. They will be still until the people you have taken as your own pass by. You will lead your people and place them on your very own mountain, the place that you, Lord, made for yourself to live, the temple, Lord, that your hands have made. The Lord will be king forever!” The horses, chariot drivers, and chariots of the king of Egypt went into the sea, and the Lord covered them with water from the sea. But the Israelites walked through the sea on dry land.

God's promise of forgiveness.

Matthew 26:26-28 NASB

While they were eating, Jesus took some bread, and after a blessing, He broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, "Take, eat; this is My body."  And when He had taken a cup and given thanks, He gave it to them, saying, "Drink from it, all of you;  for this is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for forgiveness of sins.

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Many times Jesus told his followers that he would suffer and die. 

Jesus was with his followers eating a special holiday meal. The holiday celebrated the time God rescued his people from slavery in Egypt. Long before Jesus was born, God sent Moses to rescue his people from Egypt's evil ruler Pharaoh. God told Moses a terrible judgement would come to every home that did not put lamb's blood on the door posts of their house. If God's angel saw the people obeyed God and that they put lamb's blood on the door posts then they would be saved from the terrible judgement. When the God's people survived the judgement God said they needed to hurry and leave Egypt the next day. So God said make bread without yeast. God said you will not have time for the bread dough to rise. God told his people to remember that day by celebrating every year with a holiday called Passover. It is called passover because God's judgement passed over the house with lamb's blood on the door posts.

Jesus was eating the Passover holiday meal with his followers. During the meal it was traditional to eat special flat bread that was made with no yeast. The people did this to remember God's promise to rescue them and because they had to  leave in a hurry. At the Passover celebration the people would drink wine to remember the blood of the lamb that was put on the door posts.

Jesus said the bread and the wine had a new meaning. Now when his people celebrated together they would remember that Jesus died to rescue his people like the lamb in Egypt. On the cross Jesus body was broken and his blood was shed for his people.

Jesus said these were new promises from God. God promised to forgive many people's sin because Jesus died and faced God's terrible judgement.

When we remember God's promise together, we can be sure that because of Jesus' death we are forgiven.

Jesus died to forgive your sin!

Will you remind someone today?